Stephen Lang

hello Steven land here I wanted to take this time to to send a greeting to all my friends to all the men and women serving our nation and the Armed Forces all over the world you know it's 15 years since I've made my first visit to the Troops and calls I've received since then from Navy MWR a superb organization have always been well it's always been I was going to have an adventure I was going to have one of the great experiences of my life the friendships I've formed the relationships the the things I've learned have just been quite extraordinary and I count my time being with the troops all over the globe as some of the real highlights of my life of course I can't do it right now cause like everyone else I'm I'm in quarantine I'm here at my home in upstate New York and I'm here in relative comfort I'm supposed to be in Serbia right now shooting the sequel to don't breathe which is a film I did in 2016 in which I play a blind man defending his home against some home invaders and it's pretty gnarly movie and I'm looking pretty gnarly right now I don't look anything like Colonel Quaritch in Avatar but he's in there too I guess I do look a bit like an older I clan from tombstone some of you might remember that law don't go around here mister Kansas law dog in any case I'm home right now and since I'm not able to to make a visit I thought maybe I'm I would do a little something for you and I was thinking about it you know for the past months I've been working on a series of poems and as it happens I'm very interested in the Civil War with a special emphasis on the Battle of Gettysburg which of course was the biggest and bloodiest battle ever fought on American soil and I visited I've bitten down to get is very many many times over the years and ours finding an extremely inspiring place to be it kind of fills my heart when I'm there in any case I started working on some narrative poetry about the battle itself it's kind of idiosyncratic stuff some of it deals with the personalities I it's not meant to be historically comprehensive though I hope it's historically accurate or else at least in the ballpark but in any case I thought today I would debut this was intended I should say it is intended to be a ultimately a kind of a book an illustrated book an illustrated treasury of a verse from the Battle of Gettysburg or some such thing in any case as my offering to all the men and women who serve our country so nobly I'd like to offer you the first two poems in the cycle alright I'm just gonna put on my reading glasses even though I wrote it I haven't quite committed it to memory in any case here we go the old man rocks slowly in the old rocking chair a shawl on his shoulders against the chilly night air a breeze stirred the candlelight and flickering tones the only sound the soft creaking the chair or his bones I shut barely breathing he might be asleep or perhaps he was praying his soul for to keep but sleep could he not even if he don't mind to nor prayers to the Lord as he was often inclined to know the old man was plotting was hatching a plan a plan to get moving every gun mule and man a plan that was daring and cunning and wise a plan that could well take his foe by surprise his foe it was still hard to think of them as his foe for they'd fought side-by-side down in Old Mexico but those days were long past each had gone his own way some War Union blue while the others chose gray they were all older now but still courageous and wise except for one who was gone going on to his grave he pulled the shawl tighter for he started to shiver at the thought of his Stonewall crossing over the river the loss of Jackson had caused him a great deal of harm he felt that when he lost Jackson he lost his right on the old man's side and the fella pain in his heart for the friendships of families to the nation torn apart his thoughts were interrupted by a quiet voice sir the men are awake [Music] these thoughts were interrupted by a quiet voice sir morning has come the minister the old man nodded the new day a fresh start a day to take action a day to take heart no time for napping wrapped up in a shawl no time for setting this is no time at all this is no time for rocking a soft pillow meets my Fanny unless the men are right when they called the old granny if you laugh to himself and he opened his eyes shrugged the shawl from his shoulders and slowly did rise he breathed in the fresh morning as he watched the dawn break robert e lee was ready a certain of the course he must take saddle up traveller today I ride forth assemble the army today we march north so that's the first poem and now well for a slightly different perspective on things another man sat rocking head bowed deep and fog there was questions he had and answers he sought he spoke to himself as he sat there thinking Morales low our spirits are sinking the way our army is being Ladin that's like a mule I don't know his ass from his head what in blazes is it that my generals lack why won't my generals go on the attack they have not been equal to the cars they serve Burnside's too cautious and McClellan likes nerve and hooker well general hooker law do not agree on the best way to tackle general robert e lee we've got more guns we've got more men yet we get whipped again and again Lee should have been beaten at Chancellorsville we should have attacked gone in for the kill but we didn't all it could make me weep to think that we were caught asleep our sleep my goodness what was hooker thinking perhaps he'd been awake half the night drinking I must make a well well it's no use crying over spilt whiskey I must make a change no matter how risky and it's also no good crying over sadly spilt blood I must get this army out of the mire and the mud but well hooker is out but who to replace him who will take on the gray fox who's got the brass to face him I need a commander with iron discipline a man who'll move us forward a man who needs to win but man that Antietam he went straight at Jackson by jingo he even pushed him back so he hung tough and and he stood tall and he bruised and he bloodied the great Stonewall he's got gumption and guts and and he's got the will and he'll fight well on his own dunghill or he's a Pennsylvania man then you'll get the job done if anyone can mr. Lincoln raised his head and murmured aloud yes yes he's the fella who stands out from the crowd he will answer the call in this time of our need that old snapping turtle General George Gordon Meade so there you have it those are the the first two poems in the Gettysburg cycle and you're the first people to hear them and and I hope you'll like them I think as time goes by I'll probably learn to recite them better and who knows maybe they'll come a time when I'm able to to visit you on a base in a camp on a carrier somewhere and and do it live for you if you like it let my friends at MWR know I've got plenty more poetry in any case I wish you all safety health and and all all the best of good fortune so this is slang same out you you

Channel: Navy Fleet and Family Readiness

Views: 6,976

Keywords: Google, Google Search, Surprise Guest, Navy, MWR, Morale welfare recreation, Navy Entertainment, WeStandTogether, NEX, Navy Exchange, Military, movies, Stephen Lang, Lang, playwright, actor, poet, Gods and Generals, Avatar, Don’t Breathe, Tombstone

Id: xmaOp41FIyQ

Length: 9min 54sec (594 seconds)

Published: Sat Apr 18 2020